Horror Over ‘Damp and Cold’ Basement Student Rents For Over $800 A Month

A university student has horrified the internet after revealing the bleak basement room she’s currently renting for over $800 a month.

Ness, a final year student at Durham University in the U.K., posted footage of her rented bedroom on TikTok (@precarious_sagittarius) and viewers were appalled. The video shows Ness walking down two flights of stairs before reaching the cold and dark bedroom—which costs more than £700 ($892) each month.

While many TikTok users were horrified at the idea of living in a basement, Ness told Newsweek that the biggest issue she has with the bedroom “is the damp and cold.” On some occasions, the walls have been “wet to the touch” from the mold, and Ness has even had to throw away clothes and shoes after noticing mold growing on them.

She said: “There’s only so much mold I can wipe away and the rest just festers in the walls. I’ve been ill more than ever here, having had trouble breathing, constant colds and a persistent coughs for months.

“It’s also freezing, especially in winter. Heating is too expensive, so we use electric heaters, but they dry the air out and it quickly becomes stuffy and hard to breathe. Those electric heaters were left by previous students, and I think it’s so sad that so many young people have gone through the exact same situation.”

Despite being a Durham University student, the room is leased out by a private landlord and has no affiliation with the university itself.

The video of the basement room quickly went viral and it’s already gained more than 2.6 million views and over 197,900 likes on TikTok.

The curtains were closed in the video which led many to believe there wasn’t a window, however Ness shared a second video to show there is a “road-level window.”

“I don’t expect to live in a mansion, but when people pay the same rent for a house or apartment in the next town over, clearly something is wrong. Some comments assumed that my room must be in London because it was that overpriced. It hasn’t always been this way though, so I don’t understand what’s happened,” Ness continued.

The Rising Costs of Student Living

A recent study by The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) investigated the rising costs across 10 U.K universities, revealing a stark 14.6 percent rise in rent over the last three years.

The annual rent for a student room in 2021/22 was £6,520 ($8,316), but in just the following year, that rose to £7,475 ($9,535).

The survey also revealed that 45 percent of rooms were university provided, with an average rent increase of 10 percent. However, the rent costs for the 55 percent of private sector bedrooms rose by 19 percent instead.

The HEPI also highlights that some cities have an overall shortage of accommodation, which leaves some students having to accept whatever accommodation they can regardless of the price.

A representative of Durham University told Newsweek that they offer students “a range of support,” including with the accommodation, finances, wellbeing, and counselling. If any students are concerned about their circumstances, the university urges them to get in touch and seek help.

The Social Media Response

Since sharing the video on TikTok, Ness was astonished by the reaction. She didn’t expect it to gather so much attention, but she hopes it will increase people’s awareness for student living standards.

“Student accommodation issues are not necessarily a reflection of the universities, but rather certain landlords that will take advantage of students,” she told Newsweek. “I wouldn’t change my university for the world, it’s just a shame to have it be tainted by such sub-standard housing.

“It all stems back to the very serious problem that student living is being neglected. It’s frustrating because in bigger cities, you can find accommodation of the same quality, or even better, that’s significantly cheaper. Students shouldn’t have to decide between getting the education they want from the university they want and accepting poorer living conditions.”

Ness may only have a few weeks left in the basement room, but since sharing the video she has generated plenty of debate online. With over 400 comments on the post already, many people were horrified by the price of the room.

One comment reads: “I did that for a year and ended up with respiratory problems due to the mold hiding behind furniture.”

Another person responded: “You really have made the best of it though it looks so lovely and cozy.”

While another TikTok user wrote: “All I’m thinking about is the BUGS.”

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